Joining frame



ou. 1o, 195o R. s. MaGCAFFRAY, JR 2,525,149

J DINING FRAME Filed Oct. '7,4 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /41 gg .Lm (c) ,s

nca)A lo! Le) INVENTOR ATTORN EY5 Oct. 10, 1950 R. s. MaccAFFRAY, JR 2,525,749

JOINING FRAME Filed Oct. 7, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Oct. 10, 1950 J QINING FRAME Rex Stuart MacCaifray, Jr., Boiling Springs, Pa., -assignor to C. H. Masland & Sons, Carlisle, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 7, 1949, Serial No. 120,205

z claims. (c1. 154-42) The present invention relates tomechanism for joining work pieces such aspieces of carpet, and includes means for pushing together the pieces and also means fbi' drying adhesive applied at the seam. f

A purpose of the invention is to move pieces of carpet or other Work laterally, crowding the pieces toward a seam, and permitting straightening of the seam.

A further purpose is to support a heating device on the clamp mechanism and desirably moving the clamp mechanism by interconnecting it with the heater.

A further purpose is to mount heating elements, such as a bank of infra red lamps, on a beam and removably interconnect the beam with yokes forming part of the clamp frame.

Further purposes appear in the specification and in the claims. i i.

In the drawings I have chosen toillustrate one only of the numerous embodiments in which my invention may appear, selecting the form shown from the standpoints of convenience in illustration, satisfactory operation and clear demonstration of the principles involved.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a clamp frame positioned on the carpet or other work by means of an overhead dryer, the reflectors being broken away in part.

Figure 2 is an enlarged section of Figure 1 on the line 2-2 showing the pusher frame as engaged by the overhead heater, but before the pushers have been adjusted. A gap is shown at the seam. A

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 with the heater removed and the grippers adjusted to close the gap at the seam. A cement and tape dispenser is indicated in dot-and-dash lines.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional plan view of the clamp frame on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged section of Figure 4 on the line 55.

Figure 6 is an enlarged section of Figure 4 on the line 6 6.

Describing in illustration but not in limitation and referring to the drawings:

In the manufacture of rugs and carpets it is frequently desirable to produce sizes in the iinished product which are not readily obtainable from the Widths normally woven and for this purpose the pieces of carpet or other work must be joined as by cementing. In order to obtain a tight cemented joint, it is very desirable that the carpet on opposite sides of the seam be brought tightly together before cementing. In some cases adjustment is required to secure straightness, of seam and avoid inequality in lateral pressure.

The present invention is designed to push the two parts together toward the seam and hold them in a position in which they can be cemented or otherwise secured together. Provision is also made for drying the cement as by a heater or drier which is interconnected with the clamp mechanism. Thus the heater and clamp can be moved bodily as by a crane to the position of use.

Two pieces of work 2D and 2l, suitably carpet, are placed with the face 22 downwardly directed as on a horizontal table 23. The pieces of carpet adjoin one another at a seam 24 which is initially placed reasonably straight. IThe carpet is normally longitudinally tensioned by means not shown and forming no part of the present invention. The back 25 of the carpet or other work is upwardly directed and will receive the cement and tape or other suitable joining material.

The clamp of the invention comprises a longitudinal gripper bar 2E which has spikes or prongs 2l engaging in the back of the work and which extends longitudinally of the piece 20 at one side of the seam 24. The gripper bar 26 is desirably stiifened by an angle 28.

Extending parallel to and in spaced relation to the gripper bar 26 is a second bar 30 which is in contact with the pieces of carpet 2l on the opposite side of the seam 24. The bar 30 is stiifened by a longitudinal angle 3l. Unlike the gripper bar 26, the bar 30 is free from spikes or prongs at the bottom.

At the ends, the bars 26- and 30 are cross connected by upwardly extending yokes 32 which bridge the space of the seam and provide suincient internal room at 33 to permit a cement and tape dispensing box 34 as described in my copending application Serial No. 120,204 led October 7, 1949, for Tape Coating and Dispensing and Fabric Joining, to move longitudinally of the seam under the yokes.

Extending toward the seam from the upstanding ange of the angle 3l are screw clamps 35 which make journalled connection with grippers 36 engaging the back of the fabric and having desirably oppositely directed gripper prongs 31 extending into the fabric. Each screw clamp 35 is threaded through the angle 3| at 38 and provided With a, lock nut 40. A handle 4| at the inner end of each screw clamp permits ready turning of the screw to push the piece of carpet 2l toward the seam.

The individual screw clamps are separately adjustable and therefore they can correct for slight misalignment at the seam.

Each yoke has an engaging pin 42 which is engaged by a hook 43 extending downwardly from the end of a beam 44 which forms the lower part of a truss 45 suspended from the hook 48 of a crane or hoist. The beam 44 supports along its bottom edge a bank of electric infra red lamps 4'! between shield reilectors 43 which extend downwardly from the beam on opposite sides in diverging relation.

In operaiton the crane carries the truss and clamp bodily to a position above the seam and then lowers the structure straddling the seam in the position shown. The crane then moves the beam down far enough to permit detaching the hooks 43 and removing the truss and lamps. The clamp mechanism is then in the position shown in Figures 3 and 4. It has sufficient weight so that the gripper bar 28 and the grippers 36 firmly engage the fabric on opposite sides of the seam. The handles 4l of the screw clamps are then turned to close the seam and force the carpet piece 2l toward the carpet piece 20. To correct for misalignment, the dilerent screw clamps may be moved variant distances from similar initial postiions. With the carpet in this position, the seam is then cemented together as by applying cement and tape to the back across the seam.

The infra red drier is then put in operation, moving the truss and beam back to the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 and again engaging the hooks 43 with the pins 42. The infra red lamps are turned on and the cement is then dried suciently to hold the joint together prior to curing. The clamps are then released suciently to eliminate any lateral pressure at the seam and the grippers and heater as a unit are removed upwardly by the crane, leaving the joined pieces of carpet ready for subsequent operations, such as curing of the cement, coating the back of the carpet, and the like as desired.

In view of my invention and disclosure, variations and modications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benets of my invention without copying the structure shown, and, I, therefore claim all such insofar as they fall Within the reasonable spirit and scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device for pushing carpet pieces together at a seam, a rst gripping bar extending longitudinally of the seam and having prongs for engaging one piece of carpet, second grippers in spaced relation to the first gripping bar and having prongs for engaging the other piece of carpet, a frame connected to the rst gripping bar and extending longitudinally of the second grippers and screws interconnecting the second grippers and the frame and by lateral pressure moving the second gripers toward the rst gripping bar.

2. In a mechanism for joining pieces of work, a gripping bar extending longitudinally and having prongs adapted to engage the work on one side of a seam, a second bar extending longitudinally in spaced relation to the rst and adapted to engage the work on the opposite side of the seam, pusher elements adjustably connected to the second bar and having prongs for engaging the work and pushing it toward the seam, yokes at opposite ends interconnecting the iirst and second bars, a beam extending longitudinally of the seam from one yoke to another, separable connections between the beam at each end and the yokes and a bank of infra red lamps extending along the lower edge of the beam.

REX STUART MACCAFFRAY, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

Linquist Apr. 20, 1943 Steffens July 3, 1945 Number 

